


in the ruins of today

by jackgyeoms



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Hikaru and Ben worry about each other, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Star Trek Beyond, Reunions, There is also Enterprise Crew family feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 08:36:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7677523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackgyeoms/pseuds/jackgyeoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The hospital is crowded when Hikaru arrives.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Hikaru/Ben reunion fic. Post-Star Trek: Beyond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the ruins of today

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own

 

The hospital is crowded when Hikaru arrives - doctors and nurses running back and forth from one patient to another, too many littering the halls as a sentiment to how underprepared the hospital actually is. He pushes his way through the middle, nudges people out of the way and ducks under outstretched arms, because he feels unstable on his legs and he thinks he might drop if he stops.

He’d stumbled from the Enterprise, and immediately asked where his family was. The Starfleet operative was helpful enough, but there are four hospitals on Yorktown with close to a three million people currently registered upon the space station, and he doesn’t even know where to begin. Chekov does - the little genius breaks through the backdoor of Starfleet’s security to find out where Ben’s identification last binged, and then fixes it upon exit.

“I will need to speak to Admiral Harding about these upgrades…” Chekov murmurs absentmindedly, and Hikaru is thanking him aggressively, informs him to tell the Captain where he will be and takes off.

The Memoria is the closest to the crash site, and Hikaru knows that means they were right there. The knowledge makes his chest hurt, and worry makes him move faster.

He reminds himself that nothing happened, that Kirk’s crazy ass plan worked, that Yorktown is safe, and that the defection of civilians to hospitals is just a precaution.

But the longer he does without seeing his love and his little girl, the more he thinks of what could have happened: swept up in a gravity stream; pulled into the water by a too strong wave; caught by the end of a wing; trampled by a panicked -

“Daddy!”

Demora’s voice breaks through his thoughts, and her little face peers from around a nurse, and Hikaru feels like he can breathe again. His shoes squeak when he drags his foot, and he slams his shoulder into the nurse’s arm when he passes her to pull his little girl into his arms. He clings to her, hands on her back and in her hair, and she wraps her arms around his neck to squeeze back just as hard.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” he whispers, “Oh god you’re okay.”

There are tears in his eyes, and he squeezes them shut, sniffs and shudders from relief.

He feels a hand on the small of his back, the splay large and warming, and when he opens his eyes, Ben is there.

They stare at each other for a moment, greedy drinking in the image of alive. When they meet each other’s gaze again, Ben has that look in his eye. The same one that he wore after the Nero incident, the same one after the attack at Starfleet headquarters and the conflict with Khan - relief, and worry, and the kind of pain that came from fear and ended in hate. Hikaru hates that it’s an expression he’s seen more than once.

“I’m sorry,” he says, whispers it away from Demora’s ears.

Ben’s fingers curl into the back of his sweatshirt, and the intensity in his stare lessens. “We’re okay,” he states, doesn’t bother assuring him that it’s not his fault.

Demora pulls back from his chest but doesn’t let him go. She has a cut in her eyebrow, and there’s a dirt smear on her cheek, but her eyes are bright and her smile is real. “Appa protected us.”

“I know he did,” Hikaru murmurs, and presses his lips to her forehead.

“She’s been brave,” the nurse says, and Hikaru almost forgot she was there.

“She is the bravest person I know,” Hikaru praises, and Demora preens.

“Nurse Chapel is going to give me stitches,” she informs him, and Chapel quickly assures, “Three stitches. And then this little miss can get some rest. As you all should.”

Both Hikaru and Ben agree, and Demora sits in her daddy’s lap, holding her appa’s hand, when Chapel stitches her up. She doesn’t cry, although she sits tense, and Chapel gives her a chewy sweet for her bravery. Demora clutches it like it is gold.

-

Hikaru gets ambushed on the steps of their rented apartment by Leonard. He’s there with his medical bag, and the rest of the bridge. They’re speaking amongst themselves, but the stop when Hikaru approaches, turn to look at him with wide eyes in the dim light. Under it, their injuries seem worse.

“Is something wrong?” Hikaru asks, uncertain.

“Yeah there’s something wrong,” Leonard grouches, storms forward with eyebrows angled downwards. It’s not the first time Hikaru has been on the receiving end of a Bones Special (affectionately named by Jim) but it hasn’t happened for a while, and his memory did not do it justice. “You think you can fly a crashing ship, and then just disappear before you get checked out by medical.”

“I’m fine,” Hikaru insists.

“Yeah, yeah,” Leonard says dismissively. He’s already digging into his bag and shoving a scanner into Hikaru’s face, frowning down at the screen. Hikaru sighs, and repeats himself.

Jim looks the worst out of all of them, and he’s holding his arm to his chest protectively, but still he smiles. “I wouldn’t push it Sulu. You’re lucky Bones didn’t hunt you down at the hospital.”

“Is everyone okay?” Chekov worries.

“I got stitches,” Demora proudly declares, and Hikaru puts her down so she can run to the navigator and show them off. Hikaru’s arms feel empty without her there, and Ben must know because he reaches out to hold his hand. Squeezes around their fingers, and it helps fight off that void.

“Where’s Scotty?” Hikaru asks, and Nyota tells him, “Moving Jaylah into his place. She didn’t want to stay alone.”

That’s something he can understand.

“Why don’t we go upstairs?” Ben offers.

“Good idea,” Leonard nods, “Sulu will need to lay down. He doesn’t react well to hypo needles.”

“Why do I need hypo needles?” Hikaru questions, a higher pitch to his voice and a startled look in his eyes.

“Don’t fight it Hikaru,” Nyota teases.

“We have brought alcohol for the consumption of the group,” Spock informs.

“Rum. It’s a 22nd century blend. Expensive stuff. A gift from Commodore Paris.” Kirk adds.

They fill the space inside their home. Voices fill the emptiness, conversations about the banal and the useless and definitely not about what had happened that day. Spock pours the drinks methodically, and looks unimpressed when Chekov tips his hand to double the shots. Nyota spreads herself across the sofa, feet up and closes her eyes - she smiles when Spock offers her a drink, hovering above her, and Hikaru knows there something weighing there that, perhaps, now they’re off ship, can be addressed. Kirk lets himself be dragged off by Demora who wants to show Uncle Jim her new room, because he’s never been to the apartment on Yorktown before. Chekov speaks about how the best alcohol comes from Russia, and Nyota fights him, with Ben backing her up – this has happened before, and it always ends with pillows being thrown.

Leonard forces Hikaru into a chair within this mess, and gruffly tells him to stay still. “The quicker we do this, the quicker I can have a drink.”

“You deserve it,” Hikaru says, wriggles to make himself more comfortable upon the cushions, “I saw you drive that cruiser. Looked like fun.”

He huffs a laugh, lips tugged up into an angled smile. “The best,” Leonard states sarcastically. “I totally recommend it.”

“Maybe I can ask Scotty to rig - _ouch_ ,” Hikaru curses, and recoils away from the shot. Chekov snorts into his drink, and Ben outwardly grins at him. _Traitor,_ he thinks woefully.

“Don’t be such a baby. You barely felt anything,” Leonard scolds, reaches behind him and shoves a glass into his hand. “Drink up. Doctor’s orders.”

-

Later, Hikaru rests his head on Ben’s shoulder and apologises again. The noise is gone, and it’s just the two of them. Demora is asleep, adrenaline and fear and excitement draining her (she always get excited when she gets to interact with the crew, especially Jim - “See Bones, told you I was the favourite uncle,” Jim reminds every time, and then hugs her to start the game of escape that Demora will giggle her way through).

“I don’t like scaring you,” Hikaru says.

Ben sighs, and his chest moves under Hikaru’s head. “I don’t like you scaring me either.”

“I could leave.”

“No, you won’t.”

Hikaru hesitates, “I would for you.”

“And I wouldn’t let you,” Ben states. His arm is stretched around his husband’s shoulders, and he puts his hand to Hikaru’s head, finger pads pressing into his scalp and massaging the ache there. When he speaks, his breath is hot against his forehead and smells of alcohol. “You love your job. You always have.”

“I love you more,” Hikaru promises, because Ben has to know that. “You and Demora both.”

Ben smiles at him softly. “I love you too.” He angles his head to kiss Hikaru’s parted lips, and he lets himself fall into because kissing Ben has always felt like flying.

“You don’t have to give up what you love for me,” Ben whispers against him. “Just like I don’t have to give it up for you. We spoke about this a long time ago.”

They did, back when they were first together and Ben was already a paralegal and Hikaru still in training. Now, Ben is a lawyer and travels all over the Federation Planets for work, and Hikaru is a Lieutenant on the greatest ship in the fleet. They have a daughter who Hikaru saw for three years through video chats, always from a different place.

“Just let me be worried about you for now, okay?” Ben kisses him again, so he doesn’t have to answer. “It’s been a long day,” he reminds, “We should sleep.”

It feels like forever since he slept with Ben at his side, and it’s under their sheets that Ben presses close and holds on. He drops kisses to Hikaru’s shoulder, chest, any place he can reach, and Hikaru touches the bare skin of his back. He thinks, he might have lost this today.

“I love you,” he says, voice raw.

Ben echoes, “I love you.”

The gold band on his finger is cold against Hikaru’s stomach, but it’s a mark of forever and Hikaru will face anything for that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [come and talk star trek to me](http://gladers.co.vu)


End file.
